According to this article from four years ago, the average ticket prices at the time were:
NFL: $50.02
NBA: $43.65
NHL: $41.56
MLB: $19.82
I wish I had newer figures. And obviously the dollar was worth quite a bit more then!
Anyway, these numbers are just averages. There's a lot of variation on each team. At the time you could get a cheap seat at Dodger Stadium for only $6. At the other end of the spectrum, a courtside seat at a Laker game would easily be over $1,000. But the averages do reflect the fact that there are only 16 regular-season NFL games each year, so demand for each seat is higher. The NBA and NHL teams play 82 games each season. Major league baseball plays a whopping 162 games per.
Teams like the Boston Red Sox have the highest ticket prices in baseball because (1) they're a popular team with a rabid fan base, and (2) they have the smallest stadium capacity of any team. The Dodgers are also a popular team, but their park holds 56,000 fans, so even a low-demand game on a weeknight might draw 30,000 people and the place looks half empty. There's also been a big stadium construction boom in the U.S. in the last 15 years or so. Each time a team opens a new stadium, the prices jump up higher.
Obviously the ticket prices don't include buying concessions, souvenirs, or parking. Parking ends up being pretty important because - except for a few places with excellent public transit like New York City or Boston - most fans end up driving to the games. I went to a Laker game last November and parking cost $20.
) are 10 bucks here! not a good deal. on a metal bleacher seat. i can get a box seat at AAA Nashville Sounds baseball for that.
